Gremlins Animated Series to Debut in 2021 on HBO Max

A new animated series inspired by the Gremlins films was announced last year, with producer Brendan Hay confirming to Collider that the series is set to debut on HBO Max in 2021. The series, dubbed "Gremlins: Secrets of the Mogwai," will be set decades before the events of the original 1984 film, in which a Mogwai accidentally birthed a horde of Gremlins that went on to terrorize a small town. Given that the original film was set around the holiday season, it's possible that the animated series could debut in late 2021, but with the film's sequel not connected to the holidays, the series might not feature any holiday connections and debut earlier in the year.

The series is described, "We travel back to 1920s Shanghai to reveal the story of how 10-year-old Sam Wing (future shop owner Mr. Wing in the 1984 movie) met the young Mogwai called 'Gizmo.' Along with a teenage street thief named Elle, Sam and Gizmo take a perilous journey through the Chinese countryside, encountering, and sometimes battling, colorful monsters and spirits from Chinese folklore. On their quest to return Gizmo to his family and uncover a legendary treasure, they are pursued by a power-hungry industrialist and his growing army of evil Gremlins."

Hopefully the upcoming series will hold fans over for now, as they have been hoping for a third film in the series for years. Original writer Chris Columbus even revealed that he had written a script for a third film, though it's unclear if that project will ever move forward.

"I'm really proud of the script," Columbus shared with /Film. "It is as twisted and dark as anything, so we'll see. It's always a budgetary conversation when we're going to shoot it. I wanted to go back to the really twisted sensibility of the first movie. I found that was a very easy place for me to fall back into and start writing again so hopefully we'll see that movie soon."

When the interviewer suggested potentially taking Gizmo out of the picture for good, Columbus confessed, "I think it probably is a good idea to be honest with you." He added, "Too many people are dying."

Stay tuned for details on Gremlins: Secrets of the Mogwai and the future of the Gremlins franchise.

Are you looking forward to the new series? Let us know in the comments below or contact Patrick Cavanaugh directly on Twitter to talk all things horror and Star Wars!